More handpicked essays just for you.
Native american history and european settlers
Essay on native american history
Essay on native american history
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: Imagine the Minnesota Vikings were called the Minnesota Black skins. How would you feel about that? B. The Washington Redskins need to change their name, and they need to do it now. C. Sub points: Native American history, why they need to change their name, and actions taken to remove their name. II. Body A. Native American history 1. The word “Redskin” refers to the color of the native’s skin. (Kessler NP). 2. For every male above 12 years old that was taken by the white men was worth 50 Pounds (Phips 2). 3. For every female and male under the age of 12 taken, or any scalp or evidence that was presented of an Indian that was killed was worth 20 pounds (2). B. Why they need to change the name 1. …show more content…
2. A survey conducted by the Center for Indigenous Studies at California State University, asked 400 Native Americans if they found the name offending. They concluded with 67% of the Native Americans saying yes (Steele NP). 3. In the dictionary, it is defined as slang and a racial slur to Native Americans (Rhodan NP). 4.”Redskins is a derogatory term and that a group of people shouldn’t be used as a Mascot” (Anastasia NP). 5. “It’s is the worst name we can be called in the English language”, says Suzan Shawn Harjo who is a Native American (“what’s in a” NP). 6. Native American groups and lawmakers say it’s offensive and racist (Potenza NP). 7. The U.S Patent and trademark office say “this racial designation based on skin color is Disparaging to native Americans” (NP) 8.”Eliminating Indian team names will help erase ethnic stereotypes, making it easier for Americans to see Indians as individuals” (Worshop NP). 9. “To the fan we only exist in the 1800s as a warrior culture”, says Cynthia Colonelly. (Anastasia …show more content…
(NP). 3. The congressmen also said the NFL will never have diversity if they continue to use the racial slur of redskins (Berman NP). 4. An Oneida Indian nation sent 2,500 NFL players letters (“Native Americans Appeal” NP). 5. President Obama asked for the nickname to be released (Armour NP). 6. Tom wheeler (FCC Official) expresses that he doesn’t use the term because he believes it is offensive (Rhodan NP). 7. Instead of using the term ‘redskin’ the Washington city newspapers boycott the term and refer to them as the pigskins (Berman NP). 8. “I think it’s insensitive and I think that there’s no reason for it to continue as the name for a team in our capitol”, say Hilary Clinton (Kedmey NP). 9. American Indian sports mascots have gone to 3,000 to 900 as of 2014, according to the morning star institute (Potenza NP). 10. The NCAA asked 19 universities to change their name or get permission from all the local tribes, most agreed (NP) 11. The Arkansas State University Indians became the Red Wolves (NP) 12. In Cooperstown, NY Cooperstown High School went from the Redskins to the
Teams in every sport, at every level of competition, have a mascot. It is the mascot that represents the competitive spirit and team identity, motivating players and fans alike. Does the symbol chosen have any impact on whether a team wins or loses? Unlikely. But the choice of a Native American mascot continues to ignite debate and controversy among athletes, fans and alumni, as well as those people who might otherwise be disinterested in sports. Utilizing an Indian mascot is nothing more than a veiled attempt at hate speech.
Aside from professional sports teams having offensive names, high school and college teams also have offensive names. In Greenly, Colorado at the University of Northern Colorado, their mascot is the Fightin’ Reds. Of course, this name sounds very racists, depicting Native Americans in a very harsh manner. Students on the basketball team renamed their team, The Fightin’ Whites. They were trying to depict the 1950’s style of the average American male. Their slogan for their team is “Every thang’s going to be all white.” By making this new mascot and new slogan, the basketball team was trying to get their city council to talk about the insensitive team mascots that their school, along with thousands of other schools have. In Eaton, Colorado the people who live there are amazed by all the madness that is going on about the school’s mascot. They are perfectly happy with the mascot, and to them it seems like it would be breaking tradition if someone were to change their mascot. Even though there are many people who hate the school’s mascot and vote for it to be changed, there are also some people who love it and do not want to be changed. Some people think it is a honor for a school’s mascot to be named after their culture. But the number of people for the mascots do not even compare to the number of people opposed to the mascots. (Cart, A12)
Fighting the use of the word ‘redskins’” by Brian Cladoosby says how “[s]tudies show the use of American Indian-based names, mascots and logos in sports has a negative psychological effect on Native peoples” Cladoosby places a link to Dr. Michael A. Friedman research report which backs his case. In his study Dr. Friedman, a clinical psychologist says how Redskins is “uniquely destructive” because it “perpetuates the stereotypical and outdated caricature” and “promotes and justifies the use of a dictionary-defined racial slur, thus increasing risk for discriminatory”. With the rate of Native American suicide one of the highest in the nation the addition of their culture and history being stereotyped young Natives are facing discrimination and then being told that it’s okay because it’s for a sport. Cladoosby adds how that it creates a challenge to Natives who want to “maintain a foundation in their culture and language” meaning that ignoring a name that was once used when hunting their ancestors means that they are ignoring their culture. The name is not just racist and derogatory but promotes the an old-fashioned and stereotypical view of Native
In a generation focused on social justice and the elimination of prejudice from our society, there is still a use of offensive language and terminology in the area of professional sports. In “The Indian Wars” by S. L. Price, Price attempts to make the reader aware of sports teams that use derogatory terms as their team name and their mascot. He does this by highlighting football, and trying to determine whether Native-Americans are offended by team names in sports, or more specifically, the Redskins. Price’s essay is ineffective because although he raises good points, he doesn’t help the reader to form an opinion by adding historical context to the derogatory names used. He also uses inaccurate poll results to make assumptions about the feelings
Naylor implies that derogatory terms have a twist and are a disguise of acknowledgement to her race. Although it was initially created to humiliate and dehumanize African Americans, ‘the n-word’ develops into a word that admires men of that race.
The debate is divided into two sides. Those opposed to the use of Redskins and all Native American names in sports, and perceive the use of such terms and imagery as racist and derogatory towards Native Americans and those for keeping the name who cite the history of the team, its links to Native American players and coaches who were part of the team when it was create...
If we started all over before any names were made and altered these names towards other races how would people react? Lets take the Cleveland Indians for example. What would happen if we had used the Jews, Blacks or Chinese as this political cartoon suggests. Every race involved would have been in an uproar when the caricature came out. They would feel that their constitutional rights were being ignored. But, when "Chief Wahoo of the Cleveland Indians, runs about drunkenly at baseball games"1 they feel that it is ok to disregards the Indian name, heritage, and ritual. Taking in the psychological considerations for the Native Americans "dehumanization, as the word implies, is a psychological process that reduces a person or group to a sub-human level. One...
The idea of having a Native American as a mascot seems respectful to the tribe and a way to honor the people who arrived to this country first. Many people find it racist and derogatory to call teams by these names, while
Recently, the use of controversial words has become a heavily debated topic, as seemingly truthful statements to some, cause insult to others. The Times article "Why 'Redskins' Is a Bad Word", by acclaimed linguist and professor John McWhorter, was published in 2015, around when the use of the word "Redskins" was being debated in Californian public schools through Bill AB-30 (2015). In the article, McWhorter aims to clarify the condemnation of the word "Redskins" (McWhorter,2015, para. 1), by suggesting the offence does not stem from the literal definition of such words, but instead the negative and often derogatory connotations the words have. McWhorter begins by introducing the recent discussions surrounding the use of the word "Redskins" (McWhorter,2015, para. 1). He informs readers of the emotions attached to controversial words in the examples and describes how words continue to evolve as time goes on. Alongside his reputation as a credible person, a quote from a distinguished professor, and anecdotal story, McWhorter provokes an emotional connection with the readers
Exploiting the Native American culture should not be use to portray a sport team, using their culture mascot represents a false perception about the culture, damage their virtue and causes racial discrimination. Using mascots leads to misconception of Native Americans and it damages the youth mentality. It also ridicules their culture that sport fans can devise. Native American mascots are ignorant and a shame to their society. Today many Native Americans are battling against the disturbing image of Chief Wahoo and all the distorted images that these mascots set up about them. The use of Indian mascots and symbols should come to an end because it is vulgar and is not considerate to the Native people and their society.
Sports organizations that have ethnic team names and mascots have been a controversial hot topic for decades. Professional sports franchises like the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and Washington Redskins have maintained significant presence and fan base in their respective leagues, but disputes over the perceived racial offensiveness of their names has surrounded them. Some Native American activist groups and political figures think ethnic team names and mascots are disrespectful to their culture and defame the historical legacy of their ancestors. They view the name “Redskins” as a racial slur, and the cartoonish-looking Chief Wahoo mascot for the Cleveland Indians as mockery rather than flattery. Despite the fact that sports franchises know their brand is offending ethnic groups, they have refused to change their team names. Native Americans have experienced psychological distress, lower self-esteem, and a lower sense of achievement because of the offensive and stereotypical names/logos of these teams ("Washington Redskins: Do Offensive Team Names Endanger Public Health?"). This begs the question, should sports teams with potentially offensive names and mascots be required to change their identities in order to be more racially sensitive and politically correct?
Orvetti, P. (2011). Do the Redskins Need a New Name? Retrieved Mar. 17, 2012, from
Today in America the word Racism is taken to a whole new level. Even in sports, such as the NFL racism prospers. For instance the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Native Americans are trying to say the NFL is being rude for naming a Team Redskins. The Redskins have had that name since 1933 (Staff). The team had the name of Braves before they adopted the name Redskins. It was changed due to racism purposes. Some people would agree that the whole situation with Redskins is ridiculous because The Major League Baseball series has two teams related to Native Americans, The Atlanta Braves and The Cleveland Indians. The NFL also has more than just Redskins. They have the Kansas City Chiefs. So if they are really worried about total racism why isn’t the Chiefs in on this conversation?
In our current generation, the year 2016, one may think racism would be diminished but it has yet to be acknowledged. Most people would have thought discrimination ended with the time of slavery, but it continues to exist in indirect ways. When people think Native Americans, they think about how they were the true Americans and how they aided Columbus’s settlement into the Early Americas. Native Americans experience discrimination to this day, yet nothing has been said about the Indian’s existence and rights. In Kimberly Roppolo’s essay, “Symbolism, Racism, History, and Reality: The Real Problem with Indian Mascots,” constructs the reason and gives us an idea on why this type of racism still exists and why people continue to unknowingly discriminate
The next reason we’ll be looking at are the stereotypical images commonly seen in literature and mascots. Mainstream media such as “Dances with Wolves”, “The Lone Ranger”, and “The Last of The Mohicans” and mascots in professional sports teams like Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Blackhawks all include representations of Native Americans that for some, are offensive. With this in mind, ...